A Mesmerizing Video Visualizing the Flight Paths of Birds

The "echo" feature on Adobe After Effects produced these ghostly trails. Source

The "echo" feature on Adobe After Effects produced these ghostly trails.

Source

They effective visualize birds' movements, extruding them through time. Source

They effective visualize birds' movements, extruding them through time.

Source

The clip was made by a British videographer. Source

The clip was made by a British videographer.

Source

Birds are free to fly anywhere they please. That’s a beautiful thing! Especially when paired with the right visual effects software.

This clip, made by British videographer Parker Paul, shows the flight paths of seagulls. The visualization comes courtesy of an Adobe After Effects feature called “echo.” It essentially clones each bird at rapid, regular intervals; as the seagulls swoop and glide, they leave trails of past selves in their wake.

Paul is not the first person to extrude birds through time. Dennis Hlynsky, an artist who heads the film, animation and video department at the Rhode Island School of Design, has been making videos with the same technique for years. Still, it’s not the sort of thing that gets old, so enjoy, and try to keep this invisible ballet in mind the next time a seagull is trying to eat your lunch at the beach.